As much as I despise driving, we sure do a lot of it. When the Crossleys decided to do a family reunion, we knew we couldn't miss it. I decided I would drive out early to spend some time with my family and Tanner would fly out the next week to meet up with me for his family's reunion.
I was especially dreading the drive this time, probably because we had done it in November and had done another long drive to Colorado in April. But there was no way I was going to miss out on seeing family so I prayed a lot, packed, and then pulled up my big girl pants and just did it.
The kids were so awesome on the drive out. We stopped in Kearney at the museum to get out and stretch our legs.
Everyone loved having their very own handset to listen to.
Eliza used her leg as a canvas for her doodles on the first part of the trip.
Just before we got back in the car.
Vivienne was an angel baby on the drive and it wasn't until later that I found out Austin was sneaking her cookies most of the drive. But it kept her happy so the mess was totally worth it.
That night we stayed the night in Rawlins. I was really nervous about that night because Vivienne hadn't been sleeping well and has never had a good night in a hotel. I was afraid I would be so exhausted the next day. But lots of people were praying for our little family and that was very obvious on that night. Vivi went down without crying and slept the whole night. That never happens. I believe in miracles and as simple as it may be, that was a miracle for our family.
We woke up the next morning refreshed and excited to get to Grammie and Papa Ralph's that night. I stopped in Elko to see my dear friend Emily and we talked so hard I didn't even take a picture with her. My check engine light turned on right about that time so I stopped at an auto parts store so they could check it. After the man told me it wasn't anything to be worried about we drove the last three hours to my parents.
The first day we went to the creek to throw rocks and ride in the ranch's new little truck.
I love this wonderful mother of mine. She loves her family fiercely and isn't afraid to show it.
Eliza kept posing for pictures.
The kids all got a turn driving the skidsteer with Grammie and had fun exploring and playing with all of Grammie's fun toys.
The top thing the kids wanted to do on the ranch was ride horses. There were two horses at my parents' that I had never seen before. My mom asked their hired hand if they were ok to ride and he said yes. So I caught one and tied it up to be saddled. It became immediately obvious that this horse was not a kid horse. He was thrashing around, pawing the dirt and acting all sorts of crazy. Rudy, the hired hand, then showed up and said, "no, no, not a kids horse!" He then pointed to me and said, "You maybe, not kids". While that may have been true, I'm not as young and adventurous as I once was, and I have a feeling I wouldn't jump right up after getting bucked off, so we put Boots back in the corral and decided we'd have better luck at the main ranch the next day.
The kids were very impressed that I would walk into a corral full of bulls to catch the horses. I tried to soak it all up because I have a feeling that my "cool" days are numbered.
I was happy to see Cinders, or Cinderella, as Eliza liked to call him.
They also had Rusty still, but he was limping so I traded him out for another horse.
Vivi was not a fan of the horses and couldn't understand why we all wanted to spend so much time with them.
Last time she rode horses, Mariah had a little scare so I wasn't sure if she would get on or not. She always says that she loves to pet horses and be with them, but not on them. But she gathered up her courage and did it. I was so proud of her! And she actually had an enjoyable time.
Chet on the other hand, was all over the place helping all his siblings as if he were an expert on horses. He loves it so very much and this trip just made him love it all the more.
Cinders wasn't the most cooperative for the kids so I went and got one more horse. Brownie quickly became the favorite because he actually responded to the kids. Mariah even got back on and I could see her getting her confidence back.
Chet even tried riding bareback and did really well. He would get up in the saddle all on his own and by the end was trying to run on Brownie. It's so fun for me to see someone love horses as much as I do.
Grammie left with Eliza and Vivi and I took the older three on a four wheeler ride to the cemetery where they could see where some of their relatives were buried. Then Chet drove around for a while and tried to get the hang of shifting the gears. The kids had fun with Aunt Kelly's bummer lambs too and loved letting them suck on their fingers. One of the kids asked why they are called bummer lambs and Chet said, "Maybe it's because we say, Bummer! Your mom died!"
We also got to go up the canyon for a picnic lunch and fire with Grammie and Papa Ralph. The kids and I rode in the back and giggled the whole time at the water balloons that kept popping and the water that was sloshing everywhere.
The kids thoroughly enjoyed the cherries
And the Doritos
The kids tried fishing with Papa Ralph and Mariah and Grammie picked a beautiful wildflower bouquet.
I've learned that the back of trucks aren't nearly as comfortable when you're an adult. It seemed way more fun as a child.
We had a little birthday celebration for Eliza with a cookie cake. She was really excited about the dolls that Grammie and Papa Ralph gave her.
On our last day Chet went out to feed the chickens and caught a lizard. The last time we were at the ranch he had caught a snake on out last day so it was a fun coincidence. But he was sad to let it go and we were all sad to say goodbye to Grammie. We drove to the Bobcat to say goodbye to Papa Ralph. I wish I would have taken a picture of him leaning in the car to say goodbye to all the kids but now I'm just going to try my hardest to always remember the picture in my head. We love those two with all our hearts and are so grateful for them welcoming us home and always loving us.
I promised the kids that we only had a short six hour drive ahead of us and they did really well yet again. We spent the night at Aunt Brittany's and the kids had a blast playing with their cousins and all the dogs. I was pleasantly surprised to see that Mike had the week off so we were able to visit with him too.
Levi still isn't sure what to think of Vivi. She's just a little too wild for him.
We then headed up to see my sister Emily in Rexburg. We made a quick stop to see my friend Brynn and introduce our kids to each other. I haven't seen Brynn for at least six years and it was so wonderful to be with her. She fed us dinner and our kids hit it off right away and were begging to stay longer when it was time to go.
We made it to Rexburg and I got to see my cousin Jackie and her girls for just a few minutes which was a fun surprise. We were all so excited to hold baby Grayson and play with Sofia.
After a bath time with my kids that probably has made Emily swear off anymore children (think naked children running around because the shower is too hot, a baby pooping in the tub, all mixed with screams and tears...just another day in the life for me, but probably a bit much for Em.), we got the kids settled down for bed. Then Uncle Andrew made it home and the oldest three got to visit with him for a little while. Then the adults had a nice visit. I was banking on my kids sleeping in the next day, but Vivi had other plans and was up by 5:30.
Here we are, hanging out in the tiny bathroom trying not to wake anyone else up.
The next morning we played with Sofia until Emily had to go to work. Then I took the kids on a tour of BYU-Idaho where Tanner and I both went to school.
We went to lunch at Mill Hollow where Tanner and I had our first date. It looked the exact same which was a pleasant surprise.
The first building we went in was the Snow and we even got to hear an orchestra practicing.
We walked through the I-Center and looked at a bunch of beautiful artwork. Chet was worried for me the whole time because I had flip-flops on which are against the dress code. He pointed out every little sign on the door that talked about the dress code, clearly disgusted with my rebelliousness. But I was pretty confident that no one was going to approach this momma with her five children.
We stopped at Patsy's Porch in the gardens and did a lot of exploring in there.
I took them through a bunch of the different buildings and talked about how special the campus was to me. It was so fun to bring my kids there and to see the awe in their faces as they felt the special spirit that is on that campus.
We ended at the Spori looking at an arts exhibit but made a hasty exit when Vivienne decided to start screaming....and then we headed south for the Crossley family reunion and Dad!
It was so wonderful to be reunited with Tanner and to get together with all of the family. The only downer was that Tiesha and her family tested positive with COVID on the drive down and had to head back home. We missed them all so much.
The first day was nice and warm and the kids took advantage of that by having a water fight.
Seth asked me if I could tell Tanner he was needed outside...I wonder what he was planning? That mischievous face is the best.
There was a big ol' Ultimate Frisbee game and all the kids felt included and got turns trying to throw the frisbee.
The older kids were able to do baptisms with Uncle Baydon and Aunt Natalie that afternoon.
That night the adults were able to go on a date night to the temple and then ice cream afterwards. It was so wonderful to spend some time together in the house of the Lord.
When we got home everyone under 10 was asleep except for...Eliza, which really wasn't too surprising. I walked into Adrianna reading to Eliza with Terron and Jack passed out on each side of her. She was really proud of herself for staying up so late. I was so grateful for all the older cousins for being willing to watch the littles for us.
Chet woke up the next morning with a stomach ache and spent the first half of the day throwing up and miserable. I was really nervous that we were going to start something but no one else got sick and Chet was only down for half a day. He finished the day by eating half a dozen pickles and washing that down with a bottle of ginger ale, so I was especially grateful that he didn't throw up anymore. Yet another miracle.
The cousins brought their bunny and the kids all had fun snuggling her.
I kept finding these two being read to...their favorite
The rest of the week was pretty rainy but that didn't stop some of the family from playing a very wet and cold soccer game. Tanner's true personality is revealed in the second picture...Baydon and Hiram are good sports.
Later that day we took family pictures. Initially when I asked Chet if he wanted to get out of bed for pictures he said no. Right after we took the last group picture, Chet came out of the house with his shirt on. Without missing a beat all the adults gathered everyone together for one complete picture with Chet. Considering how hard of a task that can be, I was so grateful for everyone being willing to include him.
That's a good lookin group right there
There were lots of fingernails painted...
And flower maidens as well.
And Willie came to see me! And I actually got a picture this time! I just love this girl.
Saturday night we had a talent show. Mariah played the ukulele and sang with her cousins and Chet played his recital songs on the piano.
There were magic tricks performed, beautiful musical numbers, eye rolling dad jokes and a skit by Esther and Adrianna that had everyone laughing. While some were setting up for a string quartet, I embarrassed myself acting out "Hawold on the Twain Twacks". But I was starting to feel a little guilty pushing my kids to participate without being willing to do something myself.
On Sunday we went to Sacrament meeting in the town we were at and I actually sat next to a couple who had lived in Battle Mountain and knew of my parents. Such a small world.
We went back to the house after Sacrament meeting and had our own Sunday School. I led a discussion with the younger children about Joshua and the crossing of the Jordan River with the Ark of the Covenant. Kaisa did a singing time and then the youth and adults had a great discussion following that.
There was almost always some kind of music whether it was the piano, ukulele or singing. It made my heart so happy.
That afternoon we walked to the local cemetery where past prophet President Benson is buried. It was beautiful on the walk there. Tanner waited for me to finish some things at the house and so the walk almost felt like a mini date.
Everyone enjoyed the lilacs and Austin loved the whole week spent with his cousins. He has four boy cousins all within a year of each other.
There was someone playing the bagpipes at the cemetery and we even found some Crossleys there, though we don't think there's a relation.
As we started to walk home the winds picked up and the rain began to fall. It was freezing cold and I was so grateful to be able to squeeze into Ty's van. There were a whole lot of us crammed in there.
Sunday night each family sang a song they had been practicing that went along with what we had been learning in The Old Testament for Come Follow Me. We sang
God's Love by Shawna Edwards. She has written a bunch of awesome songs for the Old Testament. Here's the one we sang:
https://youtu.be/i4rZcN8dQpE .
Following the family songs, we surprised Grandma for her birthday coming up and sang one of her favorite songs, This Child is King. We had Chad take her the day before so we could practice all together with a string quartet as well. I filmed them singing and Grandma's reaction and it was so special. Everyone's faces were just shining with joy and the Spirit was so strong.
After that Bethany gave her the book she had put together on how each of the Crossley family members had seen God's hand in their lives. It was so special to be able to honor a woman who has played such a huge role in all of our lives through her love, testimony, and sacrifice.
The next morning we did some yard work for the family that let us use their home. I was so impressed with how hard everyone worked.
Tanner got out of the yard work by meeting up with his good friends Matt and Layton. They went bowling and did some shopping...at cool outdoor gear stores, of course.
Vivi was spoiled by all her older cousins. There were so many times where she would be right by me and then be missing and it would just be because someone had whisked her away.
Tanner had way too much fun. I love the placement of the pillows, one to keep the light out and one for protection...one can never be too careful with a bunch of kids around.
Jack and Eliza found another willing reader...
We have a lot of boys 10 and under and they played hard the whole time.
Aunt Lisa reading to the littles...Eliza right in the middle...I'm seeing a trend here
The girl cousins slept together in one room. After we got home Mariah said, "I just have a hard time falling asleep all alone in my bed." I think she was missing the snuggles every night. The girls had scripture study with each other before going to bed. They loved spending time with their older cousins.
Vivi was a little hesitant about most of the adults but by the last day she warmed up to Uncle Ty. I think it was a parting gift for him because he had tried so hard to win her over.
The night before we left, Bethany gave Eliza a birthday present which was so sweet and thoughtful of her. For our final morning devotional Grandma led the children in singing Go Ye Now in Peace which we sing at the end of each reunion. Then we sang Happy Birthday to Eliza and she got to be in a car the whole day for her actual birthday. Lucky girl.
It's always hard to say goodbye. We love our family so much and are so grateful for the opportunity to gather together and be filled in so many ways.
The drive back is never as fun as the drive there. We were all exhausted and getting pulled over within the first two hours didn't help. But Tanner didn't get a ticket so we're grateful for that. Although he still called the police officer a "Jagoff" under his breath. The officer did wake up Vivi, who had only been sleeping for twenty minutes so maybe it was a little justified.
We came home to our lawn mowed by our wonderful neighbors and the animals well taken care of. It makes it easier to leave with the neighbors we have. We are so grateful for them!
